Cosmetic and other personal care products intended for use on human skin (such as foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, sunscreen and/or tanning products), lips (such as lipstick, lipcolor, lipliner, and lipgloss), and hair (such as mascara) often contain at least one fatty phase comprised of one or more substances that are oily, fatty, or waxy in nature. Depending on the intended product use, this fatty phase is primarily employed to deliver desirable features such as emolliency, spreadability, gloss, conditioning, and/or protective properties to the skin, lips, hair, or nails. Moreover, this fatty phase typically serves as a convenient and effective medium for dispersing and/or solubilizing other desirable ingredients into these compositions. Other desirable ingredients, for example, might include pigments, dyes, and/or particulate fillers to produce color or light scattering and/or reflecting effects desirable both in the product and on the skin, lips, hair and/or nails. These color and/or optical effects are typically desirable both in the product and on the skin, lips, hair and/or nails since they are capable of enhancing the visual attractiveness and appeal of the cosmetic product to the consumer. After product has been applied on the skin, lips, hair, and/or nails, these color and/or optical effects are highly desired for their ability to cover or reduce the appearance of fine lines/wrinkles or skin imperfections, and/or provide a more uniform skin tone, and/or provide color to accentuate the appearance of a consumer's face, lips, eyes, eyelashes, and/or nails. Additional desirable ingredients such as fragrance, vitamins, sunscreening agents, and other cosmetic or dermatological active agents might also be dispersed and/or solubilized into these compositions for their desired effects. Such products may be comprised of a fatty phase absent of water (typically referred to as anhydrous), or may be comprised of a fatty phase in combination with an aqueous phase to form a dispersion or emulsion of the water-in-oil (W/O) or oil-in-water (O/W) type. Such products take on various forms, such as solids or sticks, gels, pastes, creams, and lotions.
A common disadvantage often experienced by consumers using such products is the inability to sustain an initial or freshly applied look after application. Consumers would prefer to maintain the initial or freshly applied look for several hours or more (or at least experience minimal losses during such time) without the inconvenience of having to reapply product in order to restore or refresh the desired appearance. Unfortunately, the applied film of product very often remains too liquid-like or mobile, and therefore has the tendency to transfer easily from the skin, lips, and/or hair onto objects with which it is brought into contact, such as glassware, cups, fabrics, or other skin. Such contact with various objects is common and difficult to avoid in many daily activities, such as eating and drinking, as well as from inadvertent touching or rubbing of the skin, lips, and/or hair where a product film has been previously applied. Moreover, the mobility of the applied film often allows the product to migrate and/or concentrate easily into the fine lines, wrinkles, folds, and/or pores of the skin and/or lips, resulting in an undesirable non-uniform appearance.
In the case of anhydrous compositions (i.e., those lacking an aqueous phase), there have been a number of previous efforts disclosed that assertedly provide cosmetic products having long-lasting or transfer-resistant properties. Many of these efforts have relied on inclusion of high levels or proportions of volatile fatty phase liquid ingredients, such as volatile silicones or hydrocarbons, in the composition. Volatile fatty phase ingredients allow initial application or spreading but then evaporate from the product after application leaving a less mobile or more solid-like film. It has been common in such compositions to also depend on one or more hydrophobic resins, such as silicone resins, and/or high levels of one or more high melting point wax ingredients to deposit a rigid or solid-like film that is resistant to water. The resin and/or wax impart greater permanence and water-resistance to the applied film under such conditions as perspiration/sweating, washing, drinking, and swimming. However, the films obtained after application of these compositions and evaporation of the volatile fatty ingredients, typically have the disadvantage of being too dry in feel and/or appearance (i.e., very matte, not very glossy).
In the case of W/O and O/W dispersion or emulsion compositions, previous efforts also have been disclosed in the art that assertedly provide cosmetic products having long-lasting or transfer-resistant properties. Some of these efforts have been directed to the inclusion of water-soluble film-formers or gelling agents into the aqueous phase to deliver a harder or more rigid film following application. However, the films obtained after application of these compositions and evaporation of the water often have the disadvantage of being brittle or stiff, lacking the degree of flexibility and comfort most desired for movement of the skin, lips, and/or hair. Furthermore, the water-soluble nature of such film-formers or gelling agents has the additional disadvantage of making the applied film of product less water-resistant or waterproof, such that the applied film of product is too easily rubbed off or removed under such conditions as perspiration/sweating, washing, drinking, and swimming.
Other efforts have been directed to the inclusion of latexes or aqueous dispersions of film-forming polymer into the aqueous phase of O/W and W/O compositions. These film-forming polymer types produce water-resistant/waterproof films, and often have good flexibility on skin, lips, and/or hair. Some previous efforts, however, have required high levels of volatile organic compounds (e.g., lower alcohols) and/or plasticizing agents in the aqueous dispersion of polymer to achieve their intended film-formation effects. Such ingredients often have the disadvantage of being drying and/or irritating and/or damaging to the skin, lips, hair, and/or nails. Moreover, high levels of these ingredients typically impart offensive odors and/or taste to products, and cause the product to be flammable. Another limitation observed in previous efforts to effectively include these film-forming polymers into cosmetic compositions containing a fatty phase has been the requirement of one or more surfactants/emulsifying agents. Depending on the type and/or usage level of emulsifying agents, they can have the disadvantage of interfering with the adhesion or film-forming properties of the film-forming polymer, and/or producing an irritation or sensitization response in the skin, lips, or eyes. A further limitation encountered with the use of at least some aqueous dispersions of film-forming polymers is a susceptibility to rapid coagulation or polymer destabilization upon heating or addition to a heated fatty phase (typically above 40° C.).
Having thoughtfully considered the limitations and disadvantages encountered with previous efforts to provide long-lasting and/or transfer-resistant cosmetic compositions, it has now been discovered an improved novel long-wearing cosmetic compositions that overcome one or more of these limitations and disadvantages.